TreesGreenville Turkey Day 8k - PR!

Racing is the perfect way to start Thanksgiving! My parents, Jake and my husband were going to join me but we woke up to rain...so Jake stayed with Mema and PopPop and my husband went with me to the race. It was actually quite warm out, but the wet makes you feel colder. I definitely warmed up quickly once I started running!

And we're off! My first mile was way too fast for me. I typically start off slower, but the crowds of a race always push me to go a little faster.

I was glad to have some energy to sprint at the end. There were plenty of long, gradual hills on this race but I enjoyed it a lot!

Ready to eat turkey! :) I'm so glad I did this race. I enjoyed it a lot and it really was the perfect way to start two days of eating turkey!!

Thanksgiving #1 at my sister's house.

Phil showing my sister how you snap beans in the south!

Jake golfing.

Me and Phil...finally got him to get in a picture! He prefers to be behind the camera. Jake was not interested in posing for this family photo. He was much too busy golfing.

My adorable niece!

I love being an aunt!

Now we head to Phil's sister's house for Thanksgiving #2! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone! There are more kids than adults, so it will be entertaining as always!

Training Updates and My Birthday Weekend!

I was on my own this week...no team runs scheduled. I wasn't looking forward to doing it myself, but was glad afterwards that I did it! On Tuesday I went to the gym (after hitting the snooze a couple of times - it's so much harder for me to get up when there's no one waiting for me!) and did 4 miles of speed work/intervals on the treadmill. It felt great! I love doing speed work, and it's actually easier for me to do on the treadmill. Then I did my core exercises.

Today I was very excited to run with my Dad again! I haven't really had the chance to since I started marathon training and running longer distances. I planned on doing maybe 8 miles, but soon after I started my stomach started hurting. It was later (much later) than I typically run and I ate just a few minutes before I ran - bad idea. So, I ran 3 quick miles, walked a mile with my Dad, ran 2 more miles (with Dad!!) and then walked a little bit. I was pleased with what I got in, though, because Dad runs fast! I am so proud of him. He's going to do great for our 5k in January! I wasn't disappointed with my run, especially because I'm doing the TreesGreenville Turkey day 8k tomorrow! It was definitely a last minute decision to do it. I wasn't planning to since no one else I run with was going to, but my cheerleaders (Mom, Dad, hubby, Jake) all wanted to watch me race (and I do love it!!) so I decided to go for it.

My Birthday:

I started off my birthday weekend with a great 22 mile run and ended it with an awesome present from my hubby!

A Garmin Forerunner 405!! I am so excited! I can't wait to use it...if I can just figure out how... :)

Here are some pictures from my birthday celebration with my family.

Jake and my nephew, Jude. Jake adores him!

Reading together. They're so cute!

Wrestling with Uncle Steve. Jake is doing his signature move.

Happy Birthday to me! Yes...I like frosting...a lot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Taper Time & Marathon Tips?

We ran our last long run this morning - 22 miles. Wow, in February I never thought I'd even run another half marathon let alone run 22 miles! We met at 5:00 again (which means a 4:00 wake up time for me!). The weather was chilly but good for running. It was weird knowing this was our last long run after 3 months of training. We still have some shorter runs, but after 22 they won't seem quite that hard...hopefully. The first 6.5 miles on the Swamp Rabbit Trail went by really quickly. We were talking and even forgot to eat any Gu...except for Justin but he didn't think to remind us and it was dark so we didn't notice (I think he was hoping it would help him beat me). :) We got to our first stop then and had a quick drink and Cliff Bar. The next leg wasn't so bad either. I knew better than to get too excited, though, because I felt great around mile 10 of our 20 mile run but was absolutely exhausted by the end. We stopped one more time around mile 12 before running a few more miles through Furman. It felt so good to leave Furman and know we had "just" 6.5 miles left! I felt my second or third or whatever wind I was on come on then. I actually felt surprisingly well that whole time. Don't get me wrong, it was really tough, but I wasn't dying and ready to quit like I was when we ran 20 a couple of weeks ago. I did keep wanting to ask Len "how much further?" as we got closer to downtown, but I really didn't want to know. He started looking at his watch more often and sped up a little bit, which to me means the end is near!! But I didn't realize how soon it would be. When he said "stop" I was so excited! It was earlier than expected - always a great feeling.

So do any of you have ran a marathon before have any tips for me for these last three weeks? I'd love any ideas you have! I know these last weeks are important too!

Jake makes me laugh. I'm not sure why, but he looks to put things over his head and walk...and run into things.



















He ran into the cabinet.














Peaking out this time to make sure he doesn't run into anything this time. :)

Now off to hang out with my family for my birthday!

Proud Parent of an Honor Student

If you want to read about my running and working out, today is not the day! I took another day to rest this week. I figured with 22 miles this Saturday and my muscles being a little sore from my workout Tuesday, it wouldn't hurt. I woke up at 4:10 this morning and instead of getting up like I did the last two mornings, I snuggled back under the warm blankets and fell asleep until Jake got up at 7:30 (that's some serious sleeping in for me). It was wonderful. I feel rested and ready for Saturday!

But until then, here are some random things from today!

Jake got his first "report card", and he got an A+! :) My husband told him that he set the bar high and we expect this through college. Jake's response: "choo choo!" :) We have a new babysitter (who I LOVE) who happens to live right across the street from us! It's a long story, but we found out on Saturday our other babysitter wouldn't be able to watch Jake after the end of the year but she happened to be talking to her friend (our neighbor) who wanted to watch another kid a few days a week. It all worked out so perfectly. We will miss our old babysitter, but this new situation is even better for all of us! Jake will just love having new friends. He's very social like his Mommy. :)

Jake's first report card! We are such proud parents. :)














Our little honor student playing with a box...one of his very favorite toys! :)

My friend Amy and I had lunch with 4 of our cop friends we used to work out with. It was so fun to see them and catch up. Plus there's nothing like walking in a restaurant with four guys with guns, badges and handcuffs (Seriously! I didn't know they carried those around all the time). We are just enthralled by their stories. It's like Law and Order right here in Greenville! :)

My Dad is getting his scan in the morning to check for more cancer. We are praying there isn't anymore! He has gotten so strong and healthy in the months since his surgery. He is even planning to run a 5k with me in January! I am so excited!

Sunday I turn 31. Someone asked me if I was 25 the other day...he is now my new best friend. :)

Birthday Plans/Change of Plans

I am quickly approaching my (gulp) 31st birthday. My best friend, Kaite, is taking me out for a girl's night, which I am really looking forward to! And guess what's on the agenda? 2011 race plans! Her idea, not mine. Everyone makes fun of me and my planning (particularly her husband), so I have to note that she came up with that (fabulous) idea. I only have one race scheduled right now: Kiawah marathon on December 11th. I've been so focused on that but everyone keeps asking me, "what's next?" Even though I'm focused on the marathon, I'll admit that "what's next" has crossed my mind...more than once. I'm really excited! I spent some time this weekend looking up local races and am excited to plan our 2011 racing schedule! We are especially looking forward to doing the Paris Mountain Trail Run Series. We did the 7k trail run this year and loved it! Unfortunately I wasn't able to do the 11k this month due to marathon training, so I am really looking forward to hopefully doing all 3 (4k, 7k, 11k) next year.


Here's Katie and I after our race on my birthday last year.

Me and Jake on my birthday last year. Wow, he has changed so much! I love his look here. :)

extspan style="font-family:Arial;">Today we had a very early 10 mile run planned before work...which meant I get up at 4 a.m. It was raining hard all night long and still raining when I woke up...but, I had no cancellation text (bummer) so I got up and ready to go. I got to our meeting place and Len was there not looking so excited, like he mostly is at 5 a.m. :) Justin decided the rain forecast was enough to keep him home. We stood there for a while in the rain deciding whether or not we wanted to do this. The verdict: no way! I have to admit, I wasn't excited about 10 miles in that rain. So we decided to try again tomorrow.

Instead of a run I went to the gym. I was actually excited to have some extra time there. I hadn't done a strength training workout in a while. I had more time than usual so I got in a 3 mile run, a core workout, and did some weights. It was great! And the best part, no rain in the forecast for the morning so we'll be able to do our 10 mile run. Let's hope there's no rain on Dec. 11th because I'm not sure we could handle it for 26.2 miles. :) Keep your fingers crossed.

Sisters, Sisters

Does anyone else know that song, "Sisters", from White Christmas? My sister and I have watched that movie and sang that song forever (yes, we are cheesy like that). It's a tradition for us to watch that movie every Christmas. So when I was offered tickets to see the play, who else would I ask to join me? We had been looking forward to it for so long and the night was finally here! We decided to make an evening out of it and had dinner together first. It was just fun to spend some time with my sister and dear friend! We talk on the phone and send each other messages on Facebook (sad, I know), but with our kids and busy lives we don't get much time with just the two of us. It was great!

Afton really wanted to get in on GNO! Sorry, girl, it's off to bed for you! Don't even try to charm me with that precious smile.

My sister! Speaking of my sister, I have to put in a shameless plug for her book! It's for sale here.

Saturday morning I had tears in my eyes as I started my 12 mile run. No, not because my running buddies weren't with me but because it was so frigid!! I know my friends in Wisconsin and family in Illinois would make fun of me for saying this, but I have definitely adjusted to the weather here in the years I have lived in South Carolina and it was just plain freezing! My eyes were watering and tears were literally coming down my cheeks. But thankfully, somewhere during the first mile I warmed up. I started a little later since I didn't want to be alone in the dark, so I got to "sleep in" until 5:30! What's weird is that I felt the same as when I get up at 4:00...oh well. Anyway, the first few miles I wanted to take a shortcut to where I was meeting Katie but I pushed on and started feeling good around 3-4 miles. The rest of the first 8 miles were great. The sun was coming up, there were a lot of other friendly runners out, and I was keeping a good pace.

I finished a good 8 mile run and Katie joined me for my last 4 miles. I finished quickly because I was anxious to get some coffee to warm me up! We finished and then headed to our favorite Saturday morning spot - Dunkin Donuts!

It was a great run and the perfect start to the weekend!

If the shoe fits...

...buy several pairs!! I am so excited. I think I have finally found the perfect shoes for me! I have now run 20 miles this week in my new Brooks and my feet feel great! No blisters, no pain, and I think my 3 bruised toes may be starting to heal! I couldn't be happier. I definitely intend to do what Becky suggested and watch for a sale and buy more. That way I won't have this problem next time around.

My beautiful shoes!












Tomorrow I run 12 miles and part of it will be by myself because my teammates can't do our normal Saturday run tomorrow. I was bummed at first because I didn't want to run that far by myself, but then Katie agreed to join me at mile 7! I'm so excited! Katie and I used to run together all the time and ran our first half marathon together the beginning of this year. Katie decided to hold off on marathon training for now, so now we just get together for other fun things (i.e., coffee - our favorite past time together - or a workout at the gym). So even though I will miss my buddies, I'm really looking forward to running with her!





We are too cool. Admit it.














Have a great weekend!